Sunday, June 3, 2012

The Rose Window - Church Record Sunday

The interminable endlessness of the minister's sermons was appeased to my 5-year-old mind by the view of this rose window above the minister's head (and the little white gloves I always wore to church and the little hanky dolls -- twins in a blanket -- my mother used to make for me) while I sat quietly, without squirming, till the very end of the Sunday service. Because the window faced north there was never direct sunlight through the panes, but the glass shimmered and danced nonetheless. To my young eyes it was beyond beautiful: it was exquisite.

Last year when I posted the dedication program for the Mineral Ridge (Ohio) Methodist Episcopal Church I put out a plea for photographs of the windows in the church. Blessing! The plea was generously answered a few weeks ago by Marcia Buchanan of the Mineral Ridge Historical Society. She photographed the building and windows the day it went up for auction a few years ago. She found my blog post and sent several dozen photos of the windows, the sanctuary (as we called it), and the balcony. She willingly gave permission for me to post the photos. Thank you, Marci.

The Dedication Day Program of the Mineral Ridge Methodist Episcopal Church from September 7th, 1930, gave a brief description and explanation of the images in the rose window. From the center, then outward and clockwise:

The Center:The Cross in Glory -- Christ

The Inside Circle, clockwise from top:The Nativity, Our Lord's Baptism, The Word Made Flesh, The Last Supper

Our Lord's Passion, The Resurrection, King Forever, The Triumph of the Gospel

The Outside Circle, clockwise from top:The Holy Spirit, The Word, The Son, Eternal Life

The Trinity, The Rock of Salvation, The Father, The Church

Are these stained glass windows not exquisite? I wish I knew how and where they obtained the glass and who chose the images. They were constructed by The Buser Art Glass Company.

This church holds a place in my heart simply because I attended it as a child, but after learning that my grandmother's brother was the carpenter for the building it became even dearer to me.

You can learn more about Mineral Ridge and the Mineral Ridge Historical Society on their Facebook page but you'll need to have a Facebook account to view the conversation and photos.

About Me

Sometimes I want to jump back in time, into the lives of my ancestors. Not to stay, of course -- too many modern conveniences I'd rather not do without -- but to meet them and watch their interactions with each other. Since I can't do that, I spend time learning about them and the times in which they lived. I look forward to meeting them. I've been seriously searching for my ancestors for nearly 8 years. I plan to continue indefinitely.
If you think we might have ancestors in common or you'd like to contact me for any other reason, please email me at myancestorsandme @ gmail.com.